1. Field of the Invention
The invention to which this application is directed concerns method and apparatus for determining polymer molecular weight distribution (MWD) measurements using a "Benoit" or universal approach. In the practice of this invention, the concurrent measurement of polymer mass and solution viscosity of a stream eluting from a typical size-exclusion chromatographic experiment generates data. This data, in combination with data relating to hydrodynamic volume, is evaluated by a sophisticated computer program (software). Values for MWD parameters are produced which are in complete agreement with results generated using low angle laser light scattering techniques (LALLS). Specific characteristics of the invention system, i.e. close-coupling of the mass and solution viscosity detectors and data manipulation which eliminates the requirement for highly sensitive viscosity detection, allows the measurement of correct molecular weight distribution and certain solution properties for any soluble polymer without prior knowledge of the nature or structure of the polymer.